Just when it looked like the Miami Dolphins were starting to get back on the right foot by winning four straight games following a 2-7 start, Mike McDaniel’s crew reverted back to the same absolutely brutal way of playing on Monday Night Football against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Miami mustered just three first-half points before letting old man Aaron Rodgers march down the field for touchdowns on consecutive drives that gave Pittsburgh a 21-3 lead. Tua Tagovailoa’s inability to get anything going through the air punctuated another exhausting night of football.
To make matters worse, this game is coming against a pair of former Dolphins in tight end Jonnu Smith and defensive back Jalen Ramsey. Watching from home, wide receiver Tyreek Hill was hoping against hope that anyone not named Ramsey was going to make a play over the future Hall of Famer.
Hill, who has been out of commission since a Week 4 injury that placed his Miami future in doubt, implored the Dolphins not to let Ramsey make a play on defense, as the team wouldn’t “hear the end of it” if he got one over on his old team while the nation is watching.
Tyreek Hill begs Dolphins not to let Jalen Ramsey make plays on Monday Night Football
The same problems that have plagued this franchise for years are popping up once again. The defense is folding in the second half, the lack of wide receiver depth is limiting what Mike McDaniel can call on offense, play-calling in third down has been very mixed.
Once again, however, Tagovailoa is regressing from an average quarterback in pristine conditions to one who looks borderline unplayable when the temperature drops. Tagovailoa’s struggles in cold weather were a problem at the best of times, and he seems no closer to overcoming this problem due to a weak arm.
While former Dolphins Pro Bowl tight end Smith didn’t do much of anything in this game before a late end-around touchdown, and Ramsey himself has largely found himself out of the spotlight, both of them seem closer to notching a victory over their old club, which is likely the only stat both of them care about.
While Chris Grier was finally canned after years of roster mismanagement, his paltry returns in the Ramsey and Smith trades that helped reinforce Pittsburgh’s status as an AFC North juggernaut were one last parting gift that helped sink this franchise further into mediocrity.
